42+ Best Freebies & Discounts for College Students

When I was an undergrad at Carnegie Mellon, I knew all the ways my student ID got me a student discount or freebie. Whether it was a 10 percent discount at a store or free bus rides, I knew them all.

My student ID was great!

A few years later, when I started an MBA, I got another student ID and had to re-learn all the places I could use it!

Fortunately, my work is your gain — here are some of the best freebies available for college students.

First: Always Ask for a Discount!

As accurate as I can try to be on my list, nothing beats asking.

Anywhere you go, remember to ask if there is a discount for students.

If the answer is yes – whip out your student ID. Win!

If the answer is no – no harm in asking! Who wants to pay more than they need to?

Not me either.

Amazon Student

You can get Amazon Student for 6-months absolutely free – which gives you a lot of the same benefits as Amazon Prime without the $99 a year price tag. You get instant video, music, plus free two-day shipping.

When the trial ends, Amazon Student is 50% off the price of Amazon Prime.

You Need a Budget

Budgeting is much simpler then you're a student. Very little income, very few expenses, and all the numbers are much smaller.

It's also the best time to start budgeting because it is so simple! And because You Need a Budget is free for college students!

Email them at [email protected] with proof of registration and you'll get a license good until the end of the academic year. At that point, if you're still in school, email them again and you'll get a new key.

Free Museum Admission

Check your local museums because they usually offer discounts or free admission to local area universities with a valid student ID.

For example, in Pittsburgh, I could bring my Carnegie Mellon University ID to get free admission to any of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh – including the always cool Carnegie Science Center.

Discounted Tickets

Almost every sporting event will have discount student tickets. It might be for a less than premium game, like when the division basement dwellers come to town (unless your team is the basement dweller – then it's cheap all the time!), but if you're a sports fan you probably already know when the $7 tickets are.

If you want some culture, especially if you're visiting a major city — look for student tickets at orchestras, aquariums, theaters, etc.

For example, let's say you're in New York City — go to this page for the Lincoln Center Student Discounts. It contains links to all the major affiliated institutions and how their student tickets work.

Free Software

Companies love to give free software to students because it introduces you to their software at a time when you're least able to pay and most likely to form your usage habits.

Start by going to your school's IT department to see what software they have available (for example, here's the free software page of the University of Pittsburgh students). Many universities have a large number of seat licenses that enable you to use the software like you would borrow a book from the library. It'll cost you nothing and you can get access to a lot of great (and expensive) software packages.

Here are a few companies that give out free software specifically to students:

Movies

Movies are fun! Movies are expensive! Movies are discounted if you're a student!

Call your local movie theater and find out how much the discount is, what day you can go, and what movies it applies to. Some movie theaters, like Cinemark, share a morsel of generic and somewhat useless information on their site. Others make you call.

But they do discount! (so call your local theater)

Big Student Discounts

And here's my best shot at collecting all the student discounts available at nationally represented stores or service providers.

First, some of these require that you join Student Advantage. It's a discount card for students with an annual fee ($22.50 as of this writing) but gives you access to a litany of discounts.

Others may have a relationship with UNiDAYS, which similar to Student Advantage except it's free. You need to confirm that you are a student (either logging into your university account or via your university email) but otherwise you get access to discounts and cashback rewards.

Lastly, you may have read elsewhere about getting free drinks, discounts, what have you; at various quick service restaurants. These are highly region specific, but it's a case where it doesn't hurt to ask.

Get money hacks, shortcuts, & life's cheat codes!

Sign up to get our free newsletter and access to exclusive bonus material, including...
the Wallet Hacks Money Toolbox, a set of power tools to get ahead financially and in life.

About Jim Wang

Jim Wang is a thirty-something father of two who has been featured in the New York Times, Baltimore Sun, Entrepreneur, and Marketplace Money.

He can show you the philosophies, tools, strategies and methods he used to become financially independent and free to pursue what was important.

One of his favorite tools is Personal Capital, which enables him to manage his finances in just 15-minutes each month. They also offer financial planning, such as a Retirement Planning Tool that can tell you if you're on track to retire when you want. It's free.

He is also diversifying his investment portfolio by adding a little bit of real estate. But not rental homes, because he doesn't want a second job, it's diversified small investments in a mix of properties through RealtyShares. Worth a look and he's already made investments that have performed according to plan.

Comments

Yes, I remember those days! I used to look up the words “pizza” and “free food” in my Inbox to see which event/meeting I should go to in college & grad school *grinning*

I loved Amazon 6-month free subscription, laptop discounts, and anything that has student discounts. One time I even got a dress for $10 (original price: $12) from Forever 21 thanks to Mr. FAF’s student ID 😀

I swear I don’t remember all the discounts and freebies available back when I was in school!

Great list – I think your first point is the most important though… ask! I would bet a lot of folks are just too shy to step up and ask, but snagging one nice freebie or discount could make anyone change their tune from that point on.

As Seen In

Disclaimer

I am not a financial adviser. The content on this site is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as professional financial advice. Please consult with a licensed financial or tax advisor before making any decisions based on the information you see here.

Advertising disclosure: I may be compensated through 3rd party advertisers but our reviews, comparisons, and articles are based on objective measures and analysis. For additional information, please review our advertising disclosure.

All opinions expressed here are the author's and have not of any other entity including but not limited to banks, credit card issuers, hotels, or airlines. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by any entity included within the post.